Hurricane Sandy caused destruction up and down the east coast for millions of people. Her aftermath will be felt for months to come. Any business can suffer unexpected stress and so can its owners. Today’s blog post is advice to help you through difficult business situations that arise from natural disasters, personal loss, or unexpected corporate occurrences. I hope they bring you peace and guidance today and in the future.

Ask For Help from Others

Immediately after a crisis occurs, create a list of upcoming responsibilities with a timeline. Review it and see where you need support. If you can, delegate key responsibilities to staff. If you don’t have employees, consider asking other close business associates, family or trusted individuals to help you. In times of crisis, the world shows its kindness and generosity. Be willing to ask for, and accept help, for a short time if you need it.

Communicate With Your Customers

Clear communication is vital to running a business successfully during an unexpected personal crisis or situation that arises. If you need to take time away from your business and there is no one to run corporate operations while you are away, create and send a clear communication piece to your customers explaining the situation and time the office will be closed or working at half capacity. As long as customers know how long you will be away and who can handle their work in your absence, they will remain loyal clients. Don’t underestimate the generosity of clients either.

Seek Assistance From Professionals

If your problems are larger than you can handle on your own, seek professional assistance. Therapists, counselors, coaches and advisors are in business to help others through personal and business problems. Sometimes we can’t gain the right perspective on our own; we need the support of someone trained to get us through difficult business or personal times. Speaking to a professional might be exactly what you need to help you come through the problem quicker and with better insight.

Thank you Tracy. This is very helpful. Having lost three loved ones, I know sometimes life can throw you off and what to do during that time with business is very difficult. And we will be coming up on many times this winter in Upstate NY that we need to work around snow storms or other things. That may not be as big as Hurricane Sandy, but this is a helpful article. Thanks!